Torturous Touches
by 9r7g5h
Summary: Gabrielle's request to ride Argo just leads to trouble for poor Xena.


**AN:** You lucky ducks actually get two fanfics today. On tumblr, I got an ask to write a Xena/Gabrielle story with the prompt being "Hey, I said stop!" I wrote this in less than an hour, have done no editing, and it's all just fun. So, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Xena.

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It wasn't often Gabrielle road on Argo with her. In part because, honestly, Gabrielle and Argo were still quite often at odds with each other, and partly because, when they had first met, Gabrielle had spouted some long winded explanation about 'not truly knowing the earth until you had walked it' that Xena had only half listened to, Gabrielle just didn't ride.

When they were being chased by someone Tartarus bent on killing them, or when she injured one of her legs (something that happened more often than one would expect), Gabrielle always took up her place behind Xena in the saddle. But those times she was forced into it by necessity- to all of Xena's remembrance, Gabrielle had yet to ride of her own accord.

So, when Gabrielle asked to join her on top of the horse, claiming it would be a nice day to ride, Xena should have seen it coming. She should have seen the mischievous glint in her eyes, should have known that agreeing to Gabrielle's request was just asking for trouble, but she hadn't. She had just seen an opportunity to cover more miles then they normally did, and so had eagerly pulled Gabrielle up into the saddle behind her.

Argo, the extra weight no burden, had taken off from the clearing they had spent the night in, glad to finally be able to run for once that wasn't into or from a battle.

Nothing happened for the first hours or so- probably because Gabrielle was too concerned with holding on as Argo galloped across the flat field, the horse pushing herself with no direction from Xena, her hooves a blur as she ran. It wasn't often she was able to just let go of the reigns and let Argo fly, and Xena was enjoying it as much as her horse. But, as the road began to narrow, Xena, almost sadly, pulled her in, slowing her down to a decent, mile eating trot that, while slower then the full out sprint Argo had seemed determined to keep up for the entire day, would still get them that much closer to the next kingdom then their normal pace would have gone.

It was then that Gabrielle struck.

The touches were light at first, barely even noticeable- the tips of Gabrielle's finger lightly brushing over her shoulders, as if she was writing something out on her skin. Enough to send a slight tramble down her spine at the feeling, a small tingle as the hairs on the back of her neck rose at the almost ghostly touch, but both faded soon enough as Gabrielle's hand returned to its place with its partner, holding her around her waist to keep her balance.

Only, a little while later, the touch was replicated, slightly harder, pressing at the muscles that shifted and gave in to the pressure under the skin. Again, the shiver down her spine, the tingle in her skin- enough to make her shift in the saddle, drawing away from the tickling feeling.

"Gabrielle," Xena said, softly, half turning to look at her friend over her shoulder, "as much as I would love a back rub right now, let's wait until we're not on Argo. Alright?"

"Of course," Gabrielle said, all too innocently.

Xena should have believed her suspicions, but she was a sucker for a pretty face, and so just turned around and continued to ride.

she almost jumped as the touches began again, this time not on her shoulders but in her hair, Gabrielle's fingers combing through the locks, massaging her scalp. Pulling back the hair that normally framed her face and hung across her chest back, gathering it all in one straight line down her spine that she then continued to brush with her hands- brushing those same fingers down Xena's spine as she did, an almost chilling feel that made Xena's entire body shiver.

"Gabrielle, what did I say about touching me? Stop, at least until we make camp for the night."

"I just want to braid your hair, Xena," Gabrielle replied quickly. Once again all too innocent, once again all too sweet- a verbal disarming of Xena's almost playful temper, one Gabrielle had learned how to perfect over their years together. "I think it'll look nice pulled back. Please?"

"...Fine. Just be quick about it," Xena grumbled after a moment, rolling her eyes. "You know how sensitive my back is."

Xena, even with her almost god-like hearing, wasn't sure if the 'Do I' that she heard was real or not. Again, she should have listened to her gut, but with her gut twisted up the way it was, she wouldn't have been able to hear it if she had tried.

Instead, she straightened her back and nudged Argo along into a slightly faster pace. There was a system of caves that, had Gabrielle been walking, would have taken them three days to reach. As it was, it was more then likely they would get there that night- and the quicker they could get there, the quicker she could escape her bard's torturous little touches.

She continued to comb through the hair as it laid on Xena's back, untangling knots as she found them, working her down through the long tresses at her leisure to make sure they would be perfect for the braid- almost agony for Xena, as she tried to force her body to still, tried to force away the shivers of pleasure as she forced herself to focus on the Argo and the road. Finally, when there was no more hair to brush, no more knots to undo, Gabrielle began the braid.

She was actually quite good at it, for someone who didn't do it often. Even with Argo's bouncing steps, her hands were steady, passing the thick handfuls of hair between her hands almost too fast for Xena to keep track of them. Done within a minute, Xena almost gave thanks to the gods when Gabrielle's hands once again fell to her leather protected waist, hanging on to keep herself steady on top of Argo.

She almost did until Gabrielle, taking advantage of her now naked neck, took advantage of the situation, leaned in, and blew.

In the years Gabrielle had been traveling together with Xena, she had heard her make many sounds. Happy sounds, angry sounds, pleased sounds, the sounds Xena made when she was _very_ pleased, the occasional sad cry- Gabrielle had heard many sounds.

But until the moment she leaned forward and blew a cold stream of air onto the sweat coating Xena's neck, she had never heard her _squeal_.

"What in Tartarus was that, Gabrielle," Xena asked, bewildered, scrambling to steady herself on Argo- Xena had _jumped_ at the unexpected feeling, almost losing her seat on Argo in her surprise. It was only her warrior instincts that had kept her in the saddle instead of tumbling to the ground, most likely taking Gabrielle with her. Looking over her shoulder, once again Gabrielle's face a mask of perfect innocence.

This time Xena wasn't falling for it.

"You looked hot," Gabrielle said, the sweetness in her words ruined by the slight husk her voice took on. "I just thought I could help cool you down."

"Or heat me up?"

The spark in Gabrielle's eyes just grew, a silent, unwitting confession.

Part of Xena wanted to pull Argo to a stop, right there in the middle of the road, and show Gabrielle just how heated she was, but with a huff she shook her head and urged Argo on, encouraging her to add a bit more speed- it would make the ride rougher over this little road, but they could make it to the campsite Xena had in mind that much quicker.

And the quicker they got there, the better, for all parties involved.

"I'm warning you, Gabrielle," Xena said, trying to force her voice to be series- she knew she was failing, knew that her laughter at Gabrielle's antics was just hiding under the surface, ruined as well by the way her own voice had dropped an octave. "If you can't keep your hands to yourself, I'm tying them together."

Gabrielle grumbled, but her hands stayed firmly at Xena's sides, only touching her just enough to keep her balance.

A battle well won, Xena was silently congratulating herself on defeating her opponent, on having come out of the mini war Gabrielle had started with her victorious, was congratulating herself on everything when Gabrielle, keeping her hands on Xena's hips to keep herself balanced on top of Argo, leaned forward, tilted her head, pressed her open mouth against the back of Xena's neck, and _bit_.

It wasn't often Gabrielle road Argo on her own accord. It was normally only out of necessity, a break from the norm as they found it a requirement to continue their travels.

When Gabrielle _did_ want to ride of her own free will, Xena had decided that, for her own safety and sanity, the best way for Gabrielle to do it would be with her sitting in front of her on the saddle, her hands tied to the pommel, and her hair pushed to the side so Xena could get her own little version of petty revenge.


End file.
